I dropped off a gutted deer not skinned January 6th at the processor. My questions are, how long will a deer keep in a 38 degree cooler without ruining if its quartered up? Will meat last 26 days before freezing?

The longest I've ever had to wait was about 10 days

We hung one 21 days once and it was fine. Sounds like they forgot about your deer to me. I took one quartered to calera last year and finally got it back 6 weeks later. They said they froze the quarters to keep until processed. Turned out fine but won’t take another to them.

Tons of places are freezing your deer in quarters and then thawing them to process. It's perfectly acceptable and happens with store bought meats every day and I've done it quite a few times on deer I've processed myself.

Ok I didn’t think you could refreeze deer meat once it thawed out.

As long as they froze it your good. Over 21 days hanging is too much. You an Escimo any ways they hang their meat all winter so quit worrying.

my processor freezes the packaged meat after processing it.

A butcher told me that as long as the cut of meat is getting processed further in some manner after thawing and refreezing it's totally acceptable. A big portion of the beef and chicken we buy in the store was previously frozen, then thawed to put out in the case...then we go buy it in bulk and refreeze it. I've never had an issue with it.

Mine always frozen when pick it up. I hav had it take 3-4 weeks or 7-10 days

The place I take it to for smoked sausage tells me to just go ahead and freeze it before I bring it to them, that's what they're going to do with it anyway. And they are a long-time operation that processes all kinds of animals, so I figure they know what they're doing. Plus, their smoked sausage is really good.

Drop off, gut, hang in cooler for 10-14 days, cut and package, freeze and call me to come pick up. The whole process is about 11-15 days.

My processor hangs the deer with the hide on and thaws and skins it when he is ready to process it. Might be 3 or 4 months before I get it back. Best processor I have ever used.

2 week turn around here.

I was told 3 weeks when I dropped mine off Sunday.

The processor I use in MS has a 2-3 week turnaround

Got two at one right now, been there 3 1/2 weeks. Never took this long before

Place I been using hangs it for 10 days and then process. It’s generally a bit over two weeks turnaround. But I’m good with that cause I know it’s my deer

Early in the season about a week. Come January, bout a week and a half to two weeks.

Same here in the Shoals.

Are you getting your deer back?

I have always wondered that. I debone my own and fry, crockpot it and make deer wraps with it. I never had to urge to get any processed.